Three reasons for “I love a parade.”
Your city or Chamber of Commerce may be sponsoring parade or
festival this summer or in fall. Ask
yourself three questions:
Do your employees want to participate?
It can be a lot of fun. It might involve creating a float, a booth, dressing up in
shirts that id your nonprofit. However,
it doesn’t necessarily serve your mission, and it may take employees away from
their jobs. You have to consider how you will pay them.
If the answer to the question is Yes, go to
question 2 if
No,
stop.
Is
it good for publicity?
That
depends upon the audience. If it’s a
parade, more than likely there will families and young children. If your clients are teenagers, they won’t be
there. Maybe, the fair brings in people
from out of town so they will begin to recognize your work. It’s a chance to hand out a few brochures
too.
If the answer to question 2 is Yes, go to question 3, if
No, stop.
Does
it generate revenue either directly or indirectly?
This
one doesn’t apply to municipalities but just to nonprofits. Are there opportunities either directly at the
festival or indirectly through a related fundraiser to generate revenue? Sometimes you can rent a booth for a nominal
fee. A nonprofit had a rubber-ducky fundraiser in the summer along with other summer city activities. People bought rubber duckies to float down a
small stream. It was a lot of work retrieving rubber
duckies. If it’s fun for employees, and
it generates great publicity, you still might want to participate. Still keep in mind each year, what you are
trying to accomplish.
